Georgia View
1663 Georgia Bay Road
12 homes for families, couples, singles and seniors
Owner/Operator GALI
History
The path toward secure affordable rentals at 1663 Georgia View Road is a multi-year effort rooted in community collaboration. The Georgia View housing project is located on land originally owned by The Galiano Club as part of its managed 311-acre Community Forest off Georgia View Road. The club played several critical roles in bringing the project to life.
Establishing the Housing Zone: In 2008, the Galiano Club’s approved Forest Management Plan designated a 17-acre section of the community forest specifically for affordable housing.
Partnering for Development: In 2018, the Club signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gulf Islands Galisle Affordable Rental Housing Society (GIGARHS) to explore, rezone, and subdivide a 2-hectare portion of the land (1663 Georgia View Road) for 12 affordable rental units.
Transferring the Land Title: Following successful rezoning in 2022 and subdivision in 2024, the Galiano Club transferred the property title to the Galiano Affordable Living Initiative Society (GALI) - a registered charity - to advance the project.
As GALI steers the project's construction and future management, we thank GIGARHS and the Galiano Club for their foundational development partnership which drove the early pre-development work, rezoning applications, and structural assessments required.
Location
The Georgia View Project is adjacent to the Community Forest, surrounded by trails and within walking distance to parks and shore access points. It’s only a 6 minute drive to grocery stores, the hardware store, community facilities, (Community Hall, Recycling Centre, Galiano Community School, Galiano Library), and 12 minutes to Sturdies Bay and the ferry terminal. It is also on the Galiano Community Bus route.
Design
- 12 clustered homes
- a central building housing water filtration, electrical systems, a workshop, and waste/recycling storage.
- Shared laundry and on-site composting facilities
- resident and guest parking
- garden plots and intentional landscaping
- dedicated children’s play area to support growing families
- 4 electric bikes
Sustainability
Galiano is part of the Coastal Douglas-fir Zone, one of BC’s ecologically significant and increasingly threatened ecosystems. Any new housing we build needs to recognize that we are building within this landscape, not apart from it.
Density
How we build housing matters just as much as how many homes we build. Clustering homes allows more people to live on less land, leaving more of the natural landscape intact.
Sharing walls means less building material is required and reduces the amount of energy needed to heat the homes.
There are also environmental advantages to creating a community where people live close together. Neighbours have more opportunities to share rides, combine errands and carpool, reducing vehicle trips.
Additional Eco Measures
Options being planned or considered are:
- Heat pumps
- Water saving devices (low flush toilets, shower heads that use less water)
- Hot water on demand units which use less energy than hot water tanks
- Sustainable materials and methods in the building process
- Energy star products (windows, doors, appliances)
- Wiring for solar power (for connection at a later date, if not feasible right away)
- Infrastructure to support electric vehicles
- Exploring car share options
- Shared electric bikes
Water
The Georgia View Property has an excellent water supply. The well’s capacity to supply the planned number of homes, while ensuring minimal effect on nearby wells, has been confirmed by extensive well pump testing conducted by a senior hydrologist and respected water system specialist. An engineered water management plan has been completed and is registered on title. GALI has received a provincial water licence to use the well to supply potable water for the homes.
In addition, there will be onsite storage of a significant supply of water for fire protection.
Development Partners
The project team has been working with Wiser Projects and Development Society since the rezoning stage. Together, we are focused on critical site-preparation milestones. Before the buildings can go up, we are moving ahead with engineering plans, exploring different building methods, finalizing building permit applications, and preparing to construct the required Georgia View Road extension.
Funding
Community led building of affordable housing on a rural island demands a diverse set of skills and funders. We are grateful for the financial support the Georgia View Project has received from individual community members; Local businesses; through the ongoing Raise the Roof Galiano fundraising campaign; and from funding received thorough Corporate and Government funders including: CMHC; The Green Municipal Fund; Capital Regional District; REDIP; and the Community Housing Transformation Centre.